Days 39-40

Dec. 21 - wx- lows in the 30’s , highs in the 40’s ugh! To combat the cold i’ve packed life jackets around my tent for insulation. It is now my igloo.

If you don’t count the brief stop in Ft. Lauderdale for re-entry into the US, we have logged our longest transit to date. Since leaving Isla Mujeres on the 19th, we’ve logged over 1500 miles over eight days. An important stretch if we are to make our deadline in New York.

We fortunately, we faced the worst the this storm while in the safe confines of the ICW. We still have one more 12 hour run offshore from Cape May to New York . Decided to lay over in Chesapeake City, a small town along the CD shipping Canal connecting Chesapeake Bay and Delaware Bay. We arrived at low water, but manage to push FREEDOM through the mud the last few feet to the dock. The thought of being aground only 20 ft off the dock after eight days at seas was simply unacceptable.

Arrived here at 1800 and will spend the night to allow the weather to settle down offshore. I had reports of seas to 9 feet and 30 knots of wind over the last 24 hours offshore. It was a timely stop as the entire crew was ready for a little break and a meal ashore.

We found food, spirits and warmth at the Bayard House along the banks of the CD Canal. The management and staff welcomed is warmly and were interested in our story.

There was even a small ship captain’s cottage adjacent the the Inn. I afforded myself the luxury of a night ashore and a break from my igloo. I’ll use this opportunity to update the blog before getting underway.

I now expect to arrive in New York before noon on the 29th of December, and it looks like we’ll have a short weather window before the next frontal system arrives we head offshore again for our final transit out of Cape May. Statue Cruises was under contract to begin operations on January 1st. Nothing like cutting it close. This horse can smell the barn.